N. ORD.—-BERBERIDACEZ:. | 45 
GENUS.—BERBERIS,* LINN, 
SEX. SYST.—HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
BERBERIS. 
BARBERR Y. 
SYN.—BERBERIS VULGARIS, LINN.; BERBERIS VULGARIS, VAR. CAN- 
ADENSIS, TORR., SPINA ACIDA; BERBERIS DUMETORUM, RAII. 
COM. NAMES.—_COMMON BARBERRY, BERBERRY; (FR.) EPINE-VINETTE; 
(GER.) SAURDORN. 
A TINCTURE OF THE FRESH ROOT BARK OF BERBERIS VULGARIS, LINN. 
Description.—This attractive bushy shrub grows to a height of from 3 to 8 
~ feet: the stem-wood, inner-bark and pith are yellow. eaves inversely egg-shaped, 
short-petioled, closely serrate, and bristly-toothed. Occurring either singly or in a 
dense fascicle above the spines, they are of a cold-green color and very acid ; 
spines triple, branched or sometimes simple, minutely maculate and surrounded 
by the rosette of leaves. nflorescence long, drooping, many-flowered racemes, of 
pale yellow flowers. Bractlets 2 to 6, situate about the base of the calyx. Sepals 
6, deciduous, rounded, the outer three smaller. Petals 6, entire, obovate, concave, 
with two minute, oblong, deeper-colored glandular spots at the base, inside and 
above the short claw. Stamens 6, their flaments ligulate, blunt, opposite the 
petals, but shorter and attached to their bases; azthers adnate. istz/ about the 
length of the stamens ; ovary-more or less inflated-cylindrical ; s/y/e rarely present, 
very short; sigma short, flattened, sessile ornearly so. /7vazt a one- to nine-seeded, 
oblong, scarlet, sour berry, evenly depressed in the median diameter ; seeds erect 
on a short stalk rising from the base of the cell, oblong, with a crust-like 
integument. 
Berberidacezs.—Shrubs or herbs with alternate leaves and perfect flowers. 
Sepals 3 to 9, deciduous, often colored and furnished with a calyculus of petal-like 
petals imbricate in two or more rows in estivation 
Petals as many as the sepals. Stamens hypogy- 
nous, equal in number to the petals and opposite them (Podophyllum twice as 
(except Podophyllum) by two 
many); filaments short; anther sextrorse, opening ‘ 
valves or hinged lids at the top. Pistil only one, ovary simple, solitary ; style 
short or wanting ; stigma flattened. Fruit a capsule or berry with either a few 
seeds at the top or bottom of the cell, or many, situated along the whole extent of 
the ventral ridge; all anatropous, and furnished with albumen; emdryo small 
(Berberis excepted). 
scales, all together with the 
(Jeffersonia with a single row). 
* From Amyrberis, Arabic for the fruit. 
